Blind
by Slyfer911
Summary: Ray City,the next stop in Gary's search for his lost friend. But something hasn't been right since he left Shadowstone and the mysterious appearance of an old man with a cryptic message and the deaths of the townsfolk haven't been exactly helping either..


_**Blind

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**_

_A/N: While this story can be read on its own, I highly suggest you read Lost and Found first. It will make a bit more sense if you read those first. Anyway, enjoy the story!

* * *

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Gary grunted annoyingly as yet another person in the crowded train station bumped into him fiercely, almost causing him to lose his grip on the bag that was slung over his shoulder. He had heard the stories that Ray City was overcrowded, but this was ridiculous. The station was huge, almost as large as the station in Goldenrod, easily capable of holding seven to eight hundred people at the very least, and today it seemed that the building was packed to the brim.

He had been looking forward to a tasty meal and a nice, comfy bed once he arrived, but first he had to get through this brutal crowd and out of the station; he felt like some explorer in the jungle, having to grope and cut his ways through throngs of thick vines to get to his destination. "Well, let's get going, Umbreon," he casually suggested as he glanced down to his right, only to find that his partner wasn't there. "Umbreon? Umbreon, where are you?" Gary said loudly, only to have his voice drowned out in the commotion of the station around him. He cursed to himself quietly; he could have sworn that Umbreon was right by his side just a second ago.

"Excuse me, have you seen a stray Umbreon around here somewhere?" he asked a passing man, only to be ignored completely as the man refused to even give him a second glance. "Please, if you could just-", he requested before being bumped into from behind by another commuter. Gary turned around to give whoever had bumped into him a piece of his mind, but was only confronted by the mass of faces and people that filled the station, hurrying to whatever destinations and appointments they had.

Gary let out an irritated growl and started forcing his way through the crowd back to the platform that he had arrived on. "Hopefully, he's still on the train," he said to himself as he had to push yet another person out of his way. Finally, after almost swimming through the sea of people in the building, he arrived at the platform that his train had let him off onto.

The conductor smiled brightly as Gary approached him, as he held his hand to collect his ticket. "May I see your ticket, please?"

"Excuse me, but I just got off this train and I was separated from my pokemon. Do you mind if I take a quick look through the train and see if I can find him?" The conductor smiled politely and shook his head.

"The train is always thoroughly searched before we begin letting new passengers onboard. Our staff has not come across any kind of pokemon, unfortunately," the conductor said as he took a passenger's ticket and looked at it before waving her onto the train.

"Well, could I take a quick look? I won't take long at all; I just want to make sure he wasn't left here by accident." The conductor shook his head slowly.

"I'm sorry, but if you want to get on this train, you'll need to buy another ticket. There's a booth over there if you want to purchase a new one," he said politely as he pointed behind Gary towards a small wooden booth.

"But look," Gary said as he pulled his ticket out of his pocket, "I **just** got off of this train. I'm not asking for a free ride; I just want to make sure my pokemon isn't still on that train!" he exclaimed, raising his voice a little higher.

"Look, I'm sorry; I really am, but I **cannot** let you back on this train. Now I suggest you calm down, or otherwise I'll have to call security," The conductor said sternly before checking his watch. "All aboard!" the man yelled over the crowd, turning around and stepping onto the train and disappearing in its metal interior. Gary cursed loudly and stared as the metal vehicle began to slowly chug along the track leaving him behind on the platform.

Gary sighed and readjusted the bag on his shoulder preparing to turn when a flash of yellow caught his eye. Instantly, Gary whipped around, scanning the speeding vehicle and its occupants inside closely, making sure that he hadn't just imagined it. Then for split second, he saw it; the pointed ears, the blazing red eyes, the golden rings that adorned its body. Time seemed to halt for just that sliver of time, and then just like that, it was gone.

"Umbreon!" Gary yelled as he bolted towards the edge of the platform, in some kind of effort to stop the zooming train. "Somebody stop the train, my Umbreon's on there!" he exclaimed as his dash was suddenly halted by the body of a large police officer.

"Sir, calm down," the cop said, holding back Gary's struggling body easily in his vice-like grip.

"Let me go! My pokemon is on that train! Stop it!" Gary shouted.

"Sir, if you don't calm down, I'll be forced to restrain you," the policeman warned, still grasping Gary with his hands. Gary growled loudly, fuming at the fact that this idiot cop wasn't even paying attention to him. In a blind moment of anger, Gary took a swing at the policeman, striking him directly on the chin.

The cop grunted loudly in surprise and pain, and finally released his grip on Gary, obviously reeling from the punch that Gary had delivered. Quickly, Gary took off, sprinting along the platform, trying to keep pace with the rushing train beside him. He turned his head, trying to see if he could spot Umbreon in the windows of the train, before his neck and chin exploded into pain, his body suddenly sent flying into the air.

His body flailed in the air like a rag doll before it landed back onto the hard tile platform below with a loud thump. Viciously, his head collided with the ground, suddenly sending Gary's nerves into overdrive. His vision faded as he struggled to raise his head, only to see the train disappear into the tunnel beyond and vanish into the darkness within. Gary's sight decided to follow suit, and his head dropped like a stone as he fell unconscious.

* * *

Gary slowly opened his eyes, trying to ignore the cacophony in the stadium around him, trying to focus on his battle plan. Both of them had exhausted their supply of pokemon, and they were down to their final partners. As expected, Pikachu put up a hell of a fight, but Umbreon was no slouch either. The battle had raged on for what seemed like forever; as soon as Gary seemed to get one over on him, **his** pokemon pulled some kind of new trick out of their hat, throwing the battle into unpredictability all over again. Back and forth they went, but now it was down to this. He glanced at Umbreon, who was breathing heavily, obviously exhausted, yet refusing to back down. Pikachu seemed to be the same way, and yet its eyes blazed a fierce determination; sharing the same look as its trainer.

Somehow, he had always expected it to be like this; the both of them battling with all their chips on the table to the very end. Everything, **everything**, was riding on this battle for the both of them, and it seemed to be down to one final move. The spectators in the stands had now risen to their feet, cheering so loud it seemed the sheer volume of their collected voices would bring the entire stadium down around them. Gary smirked; he wouldn't have it any other way, and he was sure that **he **felt the same way.

"Well, looks like this is it, huh!" Gary hollered, hoping his voice would be audible over the din of the crowd around them.

**He** shook his head. "Seems to be, Gary. This is probably the greatest battle I've ever had; I can't remember ever having as much fun as I'm having now." His eyes suddenly narrowed. "But you know only one of us can win this. Let's make this one for the ages, huh Gary?" Gary nodded and chuckled.

"Let's do it!"

Almost instantly, **he** pointed his finger towards Umbreon. "Pikachu, Maelstrom attack now!" Pikachu nodded and raised its arms, the sparks of the electricity it was gathering in its cheeks sparkling and crackling loudly.

"Get ready, Umbreon; don't budge, draw him to you." Umbreon nodded, settling and digging its feet on the ground, bracing itself for the impending attack. With a loud cry, Pikachu released the energy it had collected into one massive, crackling thunderbolt that shot into the sky, obscuring the sun above the coliseum. Gary's eyes opened wide; he knew Pikachu was ridiculously strong, but even he didn't know that Pikachu was even capable of producing the kind of power he was witnessing now. The ground underneath the mouse began to crack and split from the sheer amount it was pouring into the thunderbolt; huge fissures began stretching from around the epicenter of the electrical all across the field.

Crackling loudly, the energy arced through the air and came screaming down towards Umbreon's body. Gary clenched his fist; he had expected him to do this. All he had to do was weather this attack and victory would be his; **he** was too predictable. Gary waited as the thunderbolt shot towards Umbreon, waiting for the perfect moment. Suddenly, at the last second, Gary finally shouted out his orders. "Umbreon, Reflect now!"

Umbreon's glowed white as a large translucent prism instantly appeared over its head as the thunderbolt collided into it. The energy crashed into the shield so intensely that a deafening clap echoed throughout the stadium; the ground beneath Umbreon began to fracture as it struggled to hold back the attack that Pikachu was delivering.

"Pikachu, put all your power into it! Break that shield now!" Pikachu let out another cry and released another humongous surge of energy, the ground beneath it finally breaking and sending rocks flying into the air. The surge traveled through the arc and smashed into the shield, the very shockwave of it almost knocking Gary off of his feet.

"Come on Umbreon, hold it! We will not let them beat us!" Gary shrieked at his pokemon. It was clear that Umbreon was intensely struggling to hold back the thunderbolt, but finally it was obvious that it couldn't hold it for too much longer. The ground beneath Umbreon suddenly caved in, creating a small crater in the earth as it strained to hold the attack off. Slowly, Umbreon's legs began to buckle, and the shield's shiny surface began to fade as the Reflect was beginning to wear off.

"No! Umbreon, you have to hold it back! We worked too hard to get beaten now!" Gary yelled, trying to encourage the pokemon to push the electricity back. Gary suddenly smiled as he knew exactly what to say.

"You're not gonna let a little mouse beat you, are you!" Gary exclaimed. Umbreon's eyes suddenly widened, then narrowed at the rodent creating the attack across the field. All of a sudden, the fading prism above Umbreon's head brightened, the rings all over its body suddenly glowing brightly as it regained its footing in the crater. Putting all of its strength out in one moment, Umbreon bounced the thunderbolt off of the shield and sent it flying at the Pikachu that created it.

"Pikachu, dodge it!" **he** screamed at the mouse. The energy raced across the field to its creator, bringing a smile to Gary's face. He knew Pikachu would exert so much energy into the attack that if it was reflected back at him, it wouldn't have the strength to move out of the way. "Pikachu, MOVE!" Suddenly, the mouse flung itself to the side, the attack missing it by mere centimeters and colliding into the wall of the playing field.

The wall detonated viciously, sending chunks of rock and other building materials into the air. The crowd near the wall screamed and scrambled out of the way of the falling debris, desperate to avoid the rock and rubble raining down over the bleachers. **He** fell to one knee as the shockwave of the explosion almost knocked him over, glancing at his Pikachu as it lay on the field. Gary cursed loudly, unable to believe that the Pikachu had somehow mustered the strength to avoid its own attack.

Umbreon fell to its knees, exhausted from the ordeal of reflecting Pikachu's attack back at it. "Great job, Umbreon! We did it! Pikachu can't even ge-," Gary's words died in his throat as he saw the rodent struggling to its feet across the stadium. He couldn't believe it; how the hell could it even move after exerting that much energy into that last attack! "Umbreon, Confuse Ray, now! We have to buy some time!"

Umbreon slowly picked up its head, and narrowed its eyes at Pikachu as they flashed white for a split second. Pikachu suddenly screeched out in surprise, grabbing its head and wobbling around on its feet, reeling from the effects of the disorienting attack. "Umbreon, you have to get up; it's time to finish this!" Gary yelled. Shaking, Umbreon struggled as it picked its body up and stood to its full height. "Start gathering energy!" Gary prayed he had enough time; now that he had initiated the attack it couldn't be stopped, and it couldn't be executed until it was fully charged.

"No! Pikachu, shake it off!" Pikachu wobbled on its feet for a moment before finally shaking its head vigorously, disrupting the effects of the Confuse Ray. "Go! Use Iron Tail, now!" **he** bellowed. Pikachu slowly walked at first, as if trying to gain its footing, but quickly broke into a full blown sprint, blazing across the field towards its target. Its jagged tail flashed at first, then glowed a bright white, indicating that it had somehow mustered up the energy for the attack.

Umbreon stood in place, not moving as all it could do was gather energy; it was helpless as the rodent raced across the field towards it. Slowly, small dots of light appeared in the air near Umbreon and were moving towards the jewel on its head, as if began guided by an invisible vacuum. "Umbreon, hurry up! Pikachu's almost here!" Gary hollered, praying to himself that it would gather the energy in time. Pikachu swiftly crouched then leapt into the air, the sun behind it casting a shadow over Umbreon's face. With a loud cry, Pikachu flipped forward, sending its glowing tail crashing down towards Umbreon's head.

Time seemed to slow down as Pikachu's tail was mere inches from Umbreon's face when a loud humming sound emanated from Umbreon, a small ball of white energy appearing in the middle of the ring between its eyes. "UMBREON, HYBER BEAM NOW!" Gary shrieked.

Pikachu struck the ball of energy with its tail as it erupted into a colossal beam of white energy that flared into the sky. Both pokemon disappeared as the ground beneath Umbreon exploded, sending dust, rock and other debris into the air. The beam continued to pour out of the impact range, until finally it waned and disappeared in the cloud of dust.

The stadium fell deathly still, no one not daring to even say a word as they waited for the dust to settle. Slowly, the dust fell to the ground; a shadowy figure was barely visible, yet was clearly standing. Gary swallowed hard; no one was able to discern which of the combatants it was. Finally, the black tips of a pair of pointed ears jutted out from the dust, bringing a smile to Gary's face.

A flash of yellow appeared below it before the dust finally blew away; revealing Pikachu standing over the body of an unconscious Umbreon. The stadium literally exploded with energy as the victor was announced over the intercom, the announcer sounding like he was going insane over the ending of the battle.

"No...," Gary said quietly to himself as he dropped to his knees in disbelief. Scores of reporters suddenly appeared from the tunnels of the stadium and flooded the field, passing up Gary and nearly knocking him over as they surrounded the new Pokemon Master. A flash of red hair caught his eye, causing his heart to sink as the woman it was attached to sprinted across the field and jumped onto Ash, knocking him over. An older man, his eyes barely visible through his squinting lids rushed over behind her, picking up Pikachu and putting the rodent on his shoulder before giving a hug to the new Champion.

Slowly, Gary rose to his feet and shuffled over to the unconscious body of his partner, scooping him up into his arms. He couldn't believe it; all of the training, all of the heartache, the work, the limits he and his pokemon had pushed, and yet it still didn't get them over the top. "I'm sorry, Umbreon. I failed us," he said quietly, trying to fight back the tears that were welling in his eyes.

He watched the announcer congratulating the new champion and hand the trophy over to him, and have the rank of Master bestowed upon in front of the attendees at the stadium. He stood there and stared as **he** took his trophy and hoisted it over his head, laughing and reveling in the moment he had most likely been dreaming of ever since he was a kid. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he turned to leave the stadium before suddenly being stopped by a hand on his shoulder. Slowly, he turned around, seeing all three of them standing before him. "You put an awesome fight, Gary. You deserve this championship as much as I do," **he** said, smiling brightly and holding his hand out to Gary. Gary could feel the anger welling up inside of him, quickly replacing the disappointment, but merely kept his face blank.

"No, I don't. If I deserved it, I would have won," he said coldly before turning back towards the long black hallway that led out of the field.

"No, let him go," **he **said behind him, as he Gary walked through the darkness of the tunnel, the roaring commotion of the crowd echoing off of the stone walls. Soon, the sounds faded as he emerged from the building and looked up into the setting sun, the sky ablaze with a myriad of colors. He took in this moment, recording every bit of pain and despair he was feeling right now, so that he would never forget how it felt to lose when so much was at stake. He made a silent oath to himself; that he would never fail himself or his pokemon ever again. The next time he had his chance, he would take it, or he would die trying.

Carrying Umbreon in his arms, Gary left the stadium, the fans, and his lost championship behind.

* * *

"Hey Oak!" A voice called out, stirring him awake. "Gary Oak!" Slowly, Gary opened his eyes and sat up, wincing slightly at the pain in the back of his head as he took in his surroundings. He was in a small room with concrete walls and large steel bars covering the only entrance. Gary raised an eyebrow as he realized he was in a jail cell. "Yo! Are you Gary Oak?" a uniformed police officer called out to him from beyond the bars.

"Yeah, why?" The cop reached into his pocket and pulled out a key ring, the metal items hanging on it jangling loudly as the police officer unlocked the door to his cell.

"You made bail," the cop explained, reading the confused look on Gary's face.

"What? Who bailed me out? Wait a second, why am I in jail in the first place?"

The cop shrugged. "Some old guy bailed you out. And you're in here because of that commotion you caused at the station. So unless you'd rather stay in here, let's go." Rubbing the bump on the back of his head, he got up from the bed and walked over to the entrance of the cell where the cop was waiting. _Who would even know I'm here, much less bail me out?_, Gary thought to himself as the policeman slammed the cell door shut with a loud clang and raised an arm down the hallway, indicating for Gary to follow.

"Who hit me?" Gary asked as he began following him down the hallway.

"Hmm?"

"Who hit me?" Gary sternly repeated. The cop chuckled, making a left at the intersecting hallways.

"Sorry about that. All of us have been a little on edge ever since somebody's been goin' around and killing people throughout the city. And besides, you did deck Masterson. Asking you to calm down obviously wasn't working, so they decided to fight fire with fire; though I think throwing a clothesline on you was a little excessive," the officer replied.

Gary raised an eyebrow at the officer's comments. "What do you mean? Who's been killing people?" The cop sighed and directed Gary to the right around another turn.

"That's the problem. We've got no clue. We find people dead; in their homes, on the streets, anywhere. But there's no sign of a struggle, or for that matter, that anyone even killed them. When the autopsies come back, they're just as baffled as we are; the victims are almost in perfect health, and no sign of stress is found in the body at all."

"How long has this been going on?" The officer shrugged.

"Two, maybe three months now. The whole city's on edge; who or whatever's been doing this has been striking at random people throughout the city. Here we are," the cop said as they rounded the last corner. A young policewoman sat at a small desk near a pair of glass double doors that obviously served as the entrance to the police station. "Oak's here to sign out," the officer who had escorted him there said before turning to leave.

"Gary Oak?" the woman inquired, prompting Gary to nod and take a step closer to the desk. "Sign here, please." As Gary reached over and placed his signature on the piece of paper in front of him, the policewoman bent over in her chair and held up a large backpack. "This is yours, correct?"

Gary nodded and grabbed the bag, inspecting its contents to make sure everything was in place. "Um, where's the person who bailed me out?" The woman pointed towards the glass double doors at the entrance of the station.

"He said he'd be waiting for you outside. Is everything in your bag?" Gary nodded as he slung the bag around his shoulder. "Alright, you're free to go. Try to stay out of trouble, okay?" Gary scoffed and headed towards the doors.

"Lately, that's been a lot easier said than done."

Pushing the doors of the station open, Gary smiled slightly as the cool breeze of the evening air swept over his face, a welcome sensation from the stale air of the holding cell he had been in. He glanced up to the sky and spotted the beginning of the sun's descent behind one of the buildings of Ray City, setting the sky ablaze with an assortment of colors, as if a painter had accidentally spilled his inks over the blank canvas of the orange heavens above.

"Beautiful sight, huh?" a raspy voice commented beside him, startling Gary. Gary looked to see the owner of the voice and nearly collapsed from surprise. His graying short hair whisked in the air slightly as another cool breeze blew through. The man smirked, a number of lines crisscrossing his face as he held out a slightly wrinkled hand to Gary.

"It's been a little while, hasn't it, Gary? I'm sure you remember me," he slyly stated. Gary slowly backed up a few steps and inspected the man closely; trying to make sure he wasn't mistaken.

"You're that old man from Shadowstone! The one in front of the abandoned house where that Missingno was!" Gary exclaimed loudly. The old man's blue eyes lit up mischievously as he nodded, stretching his smirk into a bright smile. "Who the hell are you! What's been happening to me! Ever since I left that damn town, it's been one weird thing after another!"

The old man simply stared at Gary as he assaulted him a barrage of questions; growing more and more impatient as the old man seemingly refused to answer them, still smiling that ridiculously smug smile of his. Gary growled, frustrated, and turned to leave. "You know what? Forget it. I have to find a friend and I'm not gonna waste my time talking to you," he said angrily, walking off down the sidewalk.

"And which friend would that be, Gary? The human or the pokemon?" the old man called out after him, causing Gary to stop in his tracks. He whirled around, finding the old man just standing there wearing that haughty smile on his face.

"How do you know about either of them?" Gary questioned; the streetlights around the city slowly blinking on, one by one, chasing away the impending darkness of the night.

"Because, Gary; I actually know what I'm searching for. I use my eyes for more than just looking at things," he stated cryptically as he stepped aside, revealing a small black figure behind him.

"Umbreon!" Gary exclaimed, sprinting down the sidewalk and nearly tackling the pokemon to the ground. "Umbreon, are you alright?" he questioned, the creature nodding its head. Gary laughed and rustled the black fur on Umbreon's head, which now carried slight streaks and tinges of silver throughout its coat. Even the rings on it rings had seemed to darken a bit, no longer the bright yellow they used to be, but now an almost orange hue. "Oh, thank god you're alright," Gary sighed.

The old man merely chuckled and held a hand out to Gary. "Well Gary, I suppose I should introduce myself. My name's Virgil," he said as he glanced at his watch and whistled. "Hey, you hungry? I know a great place around here that's got great food, and they allow pokemon in there too. What do you say?" Gary took a look at the man's outstretched hand and back to Umbreon.

"I'm pretty sure I shouldn't do this; but I **am** starving."

* * *

"So what exactly is an Enforcer?" Gary questioned as he swallowed his steak, breaking the mutual silence between himself and Virgil. Umbreon sat next to the table, eating a bowl of gourmet pokemon food, and from the way it was eating it, Gary deduced that it must have been awfully good. He had to admit, the food he was eating was exquisite as well; Virgil hadn't lied about the food here. He wondered what else the old man knew that he wasn't telling him.

The restaurant seemed to be a very classy and ritzy place, as indicated by the prices on the menu. Gary had almost suffered a heart attack from glancing at it, but he was assured by Virgil that he would pick up the tab, which only added to the confusion Gary harbored towards the old man. "Are you ignoring me now, Mr. Virgil?"

Virgil took a sip from his glass and chuckled. "No, I'm not. And just call me Virgil; that Mister stuff makes me feel like an old man."

"Alright, fine then, Virgil. What's an Enforcer?" he questioned again. Virgil sighed and cracked his knuckles.

"You know, even though I'm supposed to tell you, I really don't want to. I honestly don't think you're ready yet; you surprised the hell out of me back there in Shadowstone, Gary. I honestly thought that Missingno was gonna kill you, which is why I left. But you proved me wrong."

Gary stared at Virgil incredulously. "You mean you could have actually helped me out, and you deliberately left me there? I almost died back there!" Gary exclaimed. The memories of the events in Shadowstone were still fresh in his mind, even though it had occurred two months previous.

Virgil chuckled and took another drink from his glass. "Yeah, you almost did; if Umbreon hadn't suddenly learned how to use that new attack of his, Missingno would have had a nice snack; then it would have really been your friend's problem. And even if I hadn't left, I wouldn't have helped you anyway. But that's all in the past now."

"What exactly is happening to me? Ever since then, I...I've...," Gary said before trailing off into nothing.

"Things have been happening to you, haven't they? When you sleep; and even when you're awake, you're seeing things that you know you shouldn't. You feel different and something doesn't seem right; like something's off in the world, yet you can't quite put your finger on it. And the fact that you don't know is driving you insane," Virgil said with a small grin. Gary looked at the old man disbelievingly; he had hit the nail right on the head.

"...Exactly..." Gary said slowly. He knew that Virgil knew a hell of lot more than he let on, and that statement right there proved it. "Virgil, what's going on? Why did a Legendary Bird appear before me in Missingno and deliver a message to me from my friend? And what the hell is an Enforcer?" Gary questioned.

Virgil sighed and took a last sip of his drink, setting the glass on the blue tablecloth. "Gary, I'm going to be nice to you and give something to you that I've never given someone before; simply because you deserve it," he said quietly. "I cannot tell you everything at once; you're not ready for that. What I can tell you, you most likely won't understand anyway, and you'll have more questions than you do now. But, I can save you the burden; you can walk out of here right now and forget everything, and all of the strange things you've been experienced will disappear like that," he explained, snapping his fingers to drive home his point. "You'll wake up in your hotel room or wherever you're going to sleep tonight and probably chalk this up to some weird dream, and you can keep on searching for your friend."

Gary opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off with a wave of Virgil's hand. "But whatever choice you take, you can't go back. Know this; if you decide to stay, you're sticking with it till the end, regardless if you want to or not."

Gary sat there for a moment; pondering the choice before him. He **had** to get to the bottom of this; all of these weird occurrences seemed to get more and more frequent and it was driving him crazy. What that Lugia had told him and all of the strange occurrences since then had to be explained; his search could wait for a little while. "I'm staying," Gary said with finality as he sat back in his seat.

A small grin crept over Virgil's face. "Well Gary, you never cease to amaze me. Do you want to know what an Enforcer is?" Gary nodded, ready to fit a piece into the gigantic puzzle in front of him. "They do exactly what their name entails; they enforce."

"You see, Gary, a conflict has been raging for the better part of four thousand years, maybe even more. As in any conflict, there are different sides, and the Enforcer's job is to fight for their respective camp; you can liken them to soldiers in a war. And, like soldiers in a war, they fight. And they fight, and they fight, and they keep on fighting. One side will win for a couple hundred years; then the other side will turn the tables on them. It's a vicious cycle, and it most likely will never end."

"Who started it? What are they fighting for?" Gary inquired; eager for more answers. Virgil lifted a finger and pointed towards Gary's neck. Gary glanced down, and looked at what he was pointing at; the yellow and green yin-yang symbol that hung from his neck, a keepsake from his father. "What does my necklace have to do with anything?"

Virgil simply gave that smug smirk of his and folded his arms across his chest. "Everything," he merely said, confusing the young trainer. "But you're not ready to know that yet. In fact, I can't tell you anymore. You're not prepared yet." Gary sighed and ran a hand through his dark brown hair.

"Well, I'm an Enforcer, right?" Virgil shrugged and leaned back in his seat.

"I don't know." Virgil's simple and puzzling answer only served to add to the confusion and frustration that had been building up in Gary since he had met both him and Lugia. "I came here for answers, Virgil, and I'm getting nothing but bullshit," Gary snapped angrily.

Virgil merely shrugged. "I told you before we started this that you'd leave here with more questions, Gary. You decided to stay anyway; now sit here and live with your decision." He let out a chuckle. "I find it very ironic though, Gary; your eyes are completely open, and yet you can't see a damn thing." Virgil cleared his throat and raised his hand, calling a nearby waiter over. Reaching in his pocket, he pulled out a wallet and handed the man a few bills for the dinner.

He scanned the confused look that dominated Gary's face and chuckled. "Don't worry kiddo; it'll all make sense when the time comes...hopefully. You should get some rest; you look exhausted. I'll see you around," he said, waving a hand and walking out of the restaurant.

"Umbreon, come on," Gary said as he grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder and headed towards the door, intent on following Virgil wherever he was heading. He burst through the entrance, letting the cool wind rush over his face and scanned the sidewalk, along with the street in front of him.

He had disappeared...again. Just like that, he was gone; like a whisper in the wind. Gary let out a whoosh of air and glanced down at the pokemon at his side. "Well, Umbreon, I guess we should find someplace to sleep, huh?" Umbreon nodded and began strolling down the street, its trainer by its side as they searched for a place to rest for the night.

* * *

Gary sighed happily as he wiped the steam that had collected on the bathroom mirror, revealing his exhausted reflection in the clouded glass. It had been quite a while since he had such a relaxing shower, and it seemed to help even more since he had just gone through such a weird day. Gary quickly pushed the thought of the old man and his cryptic conversation out of his mind, instead focusing on where his next destination was. He had to check out the city to see if anyone had any kind of lead to **him**.

Drying himself off and wrapping the towel around his waist, he grabbed another from the linen closet and began drying his hair as he opened the door to the bathroom. He had gotten a small, cheap hotel room not far from the restaurant; much to his relief. He wasn't looking forward to searching for over an hour to find an affordable room as he had in the last town.

Across the room, Umbreon was sitting over a pile of maps that Gary had collected through his travels, which they had used in planning out their search for **him**. Even though he had told himself he was going to check out the charts, his mind was way too strung out to even think about searching. "Forget it, Umbreon; we'll do it in the morning. Let's get some rest, huh?" Umbreon nodded and hopped up onto a small couch before lying down and closing its eyes.

Gary chuckled and quickly changed into a white undershirt and pajama pants before collapsing on his bed, sighing as the softness of the sheets and pillows seemed to suck him into their cozy innards. Reaching over, he clicked off the lamp next to the bed, plunging the room into darkness and he slowly closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

Almost as soon as he was asleep, a loud knocking came from his door, causing his eyes to snap wide open. "What the hell?" he grumbled angrily as he fumbled around and found the switch to the lamp and clicked it on. The door knocked again as Gary flung the sheets off of him and shuffled over to the door. Quickly, he grabbed the doorknob and flung it open. "This better be..."

The words in Gary's mouth died in his throat as he almost collapsed from surprise at the figure standing at his door. "W-what...h-how did you...?" he stammered. He couldn't believe it; he rubbed his eyes and blinked fiercely to see if was dreaming, yet she still stood there.

She had cut her hair, yet even as it barely hung past her ears, its red tint still blazed as fiercely as ever. Gary was dumbstruck as to how she had even found her way here; he was thousands of miles away from he had last left her. "M...Misty how did you...?"

Her sparkling cerulean eyes looked away sadly. "I was in town, and this old man just appeared out of nowhere. He told me you were here; at first I didn't believe him, but when I asked the receptionist downstairs if you had checked in here, she told me where you were," she said.

_Virgil,_ Gary thought to himself.

"Gary, who was that guy? Do you know him?" Gary shook his head.

"I have no clue. What are you doing here? I thought you were still in Viridian. I'd never have even dreamed I'd see you out here."

She looked down and wrung her hands together slowly. "Um, can I come in? I feel kinda weird standing in the hallway like this," she asked.

"Oh, sure. Come on in," Gary offered as he moved out of the way and waved a hand for her to come in. She nodded and entered the room, sitting down on the bed as Gary quietly closed the door. "Uh, are you thirsty? I think I've got a soda or something around here," he suggested as he grabbed his bag off of the floor and began rummaging through it.

"No, I'm fine, thank you," she declined. Gary put the bag back where he found and made his way over to the bed, taking a seat next to Misty. He knew he shouldn't; he could those feelings he had thought he had expelled rising up with in him again. He had always felt an attraction towards her; ever since he was younger and he had run across her and the other two in the canyon where the Diglett had been causing a problem. But it wasn't until she and **him** had begun seeing each other he had realized how deep those feelings went, ironically. That was why every time he happened across their little group he never stuck around for long.

He always thought he was better than **him**; after all, he was the better strategist. He was the one who spent every waking hour training and catching the most powerful pokemon the world had to offer. Hell, he was the grandson of the infamous Professor Oak; by all rights, he should have had what **he** had!

Clearing his throat, he shoved the thoughts out of his head and noticed the bulge from her stomach was missing. He resisted the urge to keep inspecting her seemingly perfect frame, afraid of his own self-control, or lack thereof. "Where's your baby?" he asked quietly, finally breaking the silence between them. "Last time I saw you, you were barely showing."

Her face suddenly went blank as she looked down at the carpet, as if she were afraid to even look at him. "I...I miscarried. It happened a couple months ago," she said quietly, almost whispering. Gary's heart sunk down to his stomach as he instantly regretted even mentioning it.

"Oh my god; I'm sorry. I...I had no clue. I shouldn't have even mentioned it," he lamented. He hated seeing her like this; he ached to just hold her and tell her everything would be alright, but that wasn't his place. He silently cursed **him** for not being here and comforting her when she obviously needed him most.

"It's alright, Gary. You didn't know," she said quietly as she finally raised her head and looked into his eyes with her own. Gary looked back, almost lost in the blue ocean that made up her eyes. Suddenly, for a split second; that strange feeling inside of him flickered again, as if something was wrong. Then just like that, it had disappeared again. Gary quickly got rid of the uneasy feeling in his stomach and focused his attention back to her.

"Look, if there's anything you need me to do, just let me know. I'm always here," he assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She stared at him with those eyes of hers, lifting up the corners of her lips into a sad looking smile.

"Thanks, Gary," she said. "Well, there is one thing you could do for me..." she said as her voice trailed off, a tinge of uncertainty present.

"Sure, just name it."

All of sudden, she shot forward and connected her lips with his. Gary let out a cry of surprise, yet quickly had that feeling turn to pleasure as he returned the embrace, reveling in the moment that he had been aching for so long.

_What are you doing!_, his mind screamed at him, causing him to break the kiss.

"M...Misty, what are you doing? What about your fiancée'?" he asked frantically, backing away from her.

"Please Gary," she pleaded, "I need you. Ever since he's left, you don't know how lonely it's been, how I've almost been driven insane from the fact that the both of you are gone. Every night, I wake up and find my bed empty, and...and...all I can do is cry myself back to sleep at night. I...I don't know what to do anymore." She looked away from him and directed her gaze towards the carpet. "I've never told anyone this...but I've always been attracted to you, Gary. It's just that he and I had gotten together before I had a chance to tell you. I didn't want to break his heart." She looked up and looked at Gary with those hypnotizing eyes of hers, begging him silently.

Slowly, she scooted closer towards him on the bed. "No one has to know, Gary. It can just be between us. I **need** you Gary; and its killing me inside that circumstance has kept us apart like this. You don't even need to keep looking for him anymore. We can run and go wherever we want, as long as we're together," she said quietly as she drew dangerously close to him; her breath landing on his cheek. She gave him a kiss on his cheek, and he shuddered from her touch.

She pulled back and gazed deep into his eyes, and instantly Gary gave in to the urges that he had held back for so long. He embraced her, the electricity from her touch was sent all over his body as he wrapped his hands around her and felt her return the kiss. For years, he had almost been driven insane at the thought of running his hands across her perfect physique as he was now, feeling his palms rub across her silky skin. Both of them broke their embrace for a moment only to gasp for a breath of air, only to continue their kiss, her hands roaming across his body and pulling his shirt over his head.

He was lost in the ecstasy of the moment, almost unable to believe that what he had been fantasizing of for so long was finally becoming a reality. He ran his hand under her shirt and fumbled with the hook of her undergarments before that feeling assaulted his mind once again. Gary broke the kiss, leaving her to look at him with a puzzled expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" she questioned. Gary narrowed his eyes and inspected the room around him. That fleeting feeling was now stronger than ever and it refused to leave now.

"Something's not right," he answered, only to have her put her arms around his neck and draw him closer to her.

"Forget about it, Gary. I'm here now...everything will be fine," she cooed, kissing him again. "That Virgil won't be able to mess with your mind anymore."

Gary suddenly froze at her statement. "What did you say?"

She smiled that beautiful smile of hers and pulled him to her bosom. "You can forget that old man Virgil. We're together now," she said with a grin. Gary suddenly jerked away from her and stood up, that feeling in his mind growing even stronger.

"I never told you his name; or the fact that I even knew him," he said bluntly. "How would you know who he is?" He began to back away cautiously from her.

She let out an annoyed laugh and sat up. "Gary, what are you talking about? After all, aren't I your precious Misty!" she shrieked as she jumped on top of him, drawing a cry of surprise from him as they collided onto the carpet with a loud thump.

"What the hell are you doing!" he exclaimed loudly, as he threw her off of him and stood up. "What in the hell is going on around here!" Gary looked at her in horror as she rose from the floor and reached behind her back, brandishing a sliver blade in her hand; she had apparently been hiding a knife the entire time.

She let out a disturbingly wicked laugh and edged closer to him. "What's the matter, baby? Don't you love me anymore? Fine; if you won't give me your heart, then I'll cut it out of your chest!" she yelled as she rushed him again and slashed at him. The air whistled as the blade sliced through the air and barely missed Gary's chest by a few mere inches.

"Misty, put the goddamn knife down, now!" he screamed at her, only to be answered by another wild slash. "Umbreon!" he yelled, only to have no answer. His eyes swept the room; the pokemon was no longer in the room; he had seemingly disappeared. Gary's mind was running eight thousand miles a minute as he tried to run the past few minutes through his mind.

She sliced at him again, the blade this time slashing his bare chest. Gary let out a cry of pain and surprise as he backed up and placed a hand on the now bleeding cut on his chest. "Okay, this shit ahs got to stop now," he growled as he took a defensive stance and waited for her to attack again. She screamed and rushed him, taking another slash at him, only this time, he was ready for her.

Quickly, he grabbed her knife hand and smacked her wrist with his fist, causing her to drop the weapon to the ground. Then with a grunt, he swung her around and slammed into the wall, _hard_. She fell to the ground and Gary quickly bolted, yanking the door to his open and taking off down the hallway. He quickly came to the door adjacent to his and pounded on it loudly. "Hey, open up! Somebody here's trying to kill me!" he yelled at the wooden door.

Nothing could be heard beyond it, and as he turned to go to the next door, he could her figure rushing towards him in his room. Instantly, as she neared the entrance, he slammed it in her face, feeling the thud of her body as she collided into the wooden door.

Wasting no time, he took off, down the hallway, heading for the elevator at the end of the hall. A loud crash erupted from behind him, and he glanced back in time to see the frame of the door to his room explode into the hallway, splinters flying into the air. "Holy shit!" he yelled as he pumped his legs harder and turned his attention back to where he was running, spotting the metal doors of the elevators about ten feet ahead of him.

He couldn't even stop himself as he arrived at the doors and slammed his hand on the call button for the elevator. He frantically looked up at the light indicating which floor it was on; it was currently located three floors above him. He whirled and saw her sprinting down the hallway, the knife gleaming from the light in the hallway. He slammed his hand on the button again, hammering it in an effort to make the contraption speed up.

She grew closer, raising her knife hand high above her head, preparing to stab him as soon as she was in range. Suddenly, a loud ding rang behind him and the doors of the elevator opened, causing Gary to fall backwards into it as he was leaning against them. The doors slowly began to close, and she reached him, bringing down the knife in a vicious stab. He cried out and rolled over, the knife barely missing him again and colliding with the metal floor of the elevator.

With a loud grunt, he sent his foot into her forehead in a brutal kick, sending her flying backwards. The doors slowly closed, and Gary slammed his hand against the button that would send him to the ground floor. His heart pounded and his chest heaved as he tried to rid his body of the adrenaline that was flowing throughout his bloodstream. Slowly, he climbed to his feet and leaned against the wall of the elevator, trying to catch his breath. "I gotta get the hell outta here, now," he told himself as he heard the ding of the elevator indicate he had arrived at his destination.

Sighing deeply, he walked towards the doors as they slid open and grunted in surprise as a sharp pain stabbed into his gut. He looked down, seeing the handle of the knife lodged in his stomach; he looked up and found himself staring into the eyes of Misty, grinning deviously as she yanked the weapon out, causing his stomach to explode into pain. Gary could feel the warm, crimson substance run over his hands as he placed them over his wound and fell backwards into the elevator, slumping against the wall.

He could feel his body getting cold; his vision was fading. Then that feeling slammed into him again like an eighteen wheeler. Something wasn't right. He coughed, tasting the metallic iron in his blood as it invaded his mouth. But still...

_Something isn't right..._

Slowly, he picked his head up and looked at her, as his vision faded even more; and then he saw it. It was faint at first, but he saw it. Her figure flickered; as if it was a television that had lost its connection for a moment. His eyes opened wide as it happened again, and again.

He glanced around him, and saw that the walls of the elevator were doing the same. They flickered lightly at first, but it became stronger and stronger. And just like that, the realization hit him like a ton of bricks.

_This isn't real._

He chuckled at first, and then started giggling like a madman.

_She isn't real. _

He began laughing even harder, even though as each snicker escaped his throat, the wound in his stomach hurt even more. Then, he suddenly stopped laughing as it dawned on him.

_If this isn't real, then that means..._

He looked down at his stomach; there was no wound. No blood covered his hands or filled his mouth. The pain had disappeared just like that. He ran his hands across his chest; the slash there had disappeared as well. He chuckled and looked at "Misty", who sat there dumbstruck as he rose from the ground.

"This isn't real. It's all an illusion," he said simply. And just like that, it disappeared. The elevator, "Misty", everything; vanished. All there was now was just an endless void, and standing only ten feet from him was a golden brown figure; it's white mane decorating its neck, holding a pendant on a long string, swinging it from side to side.

"You almost had me," he chuckled. "But I see the truth now." He glanced over to his side and saw Umbreon standing next to him, crouched in an attack ready position. "I've beaten you at your own game. Now it's time for me to put you to rest. Umbreon, Faint Attack." Umbreon nodded and slowly faded out into nothingness. Then instantly, the figure across from him dropped to the ground, its pendant rolling until it reached Gary's feet and fell over. Umbreon reappeared at Gary's side, bringing a smile to Gary's face.

"Well, Umbreon; let's go."

* * *

Gary's eyes snapped open, and for the first time in his life, he could see. There was no color, only black and white. He brought a hand up to his face and examined it in awe. It was as if someone had taken an eraser and rubbed out all of the color in the world, leaving only the black outlines. Yet his body did not; instead his body was completely gray; neither pure white or pure black, just in between.

He looked around him and saw the same effect; black outlines, like an artist who had only sketched out his image and had yet to apply paint or colors to it yet. Slowly, he placed his feet on the carpet and glanced over at Umbreon who was sleeping on the couch; its color now sharing the same hue as its trainer. He chuckled to himself and made his way over to his bag, almost tripping over the table since its outline was so thin.

Randomly, he picked out a pair of jeans and some shirt, knowing they probably didn't match, but he wouldn't be able to tell anyway. "Umbreon, wake up. It's time to go," he said as he pulled the shirt over his head. Umbreon slowly stirred and stretched, letting out a long yawn before smacking its chops.

Gary blinked for a few times and made sure he there wasn't anything else in his way in the path to the door; this new sight of his would take some getting used to. Finally, Gary packed his bag and slung it over his shoulder, ready to leave. He found it ironic that he saw more in this black and white vision than he would have ever seen in his normal sight. As he made his way down to the lobby, he came across people with different shades of gray, some almost black in color; while he had to squint to see others, their outline barely visible.

He checked out and paid the receptionist in the lobby and made his way outside, and had his breath taken away. So many people, and he could tell what kinda of person they were just by glancing at their color, or lack thereof. Even the sun and sky were devoid of color, looking like a black and white comic book.

"Well, well, well. You never cease to amaze, Gary," that familiar raspy voice said from behind him. Gary turned around and spotted Virgil, who surprisingly, was still colored in. "It's nice to know that you passed our vision test. I didn't think you'd pass that one either, but you just love proving me wrong, don't you? And don't worry about the vision; you'll learn how to turn it on and off at will," he said with a smile. "I guess I'm allowed to tell you a little more now that you're passed."

"What are you talking about?" Gary questioned, yet again puzzled by the old man's remarks.

"Well, Gary; you asked me if you were an Enforcer. I didn't know, and I still don't. But I can tell you why I don't know."

"And why's that?" Virgil chuckled.

"Because you're special, Gary. You possess something that no Enforcer; hell, no participant in this conflict has ever had before."

"And that would be...?" Virgil gave him that smug smirk of his and pointed at the pendant that hung from Gary's neck; a now black and white yin-yang symbol. Gary looked back at the man with a confused look on his face. "What does that have to do with anything?"

Virgil just laughed to himself, knowing he was the only one in on the joke.

"Everything."

Gary looked at the pendant again then back at Virgil; but he had disappeared into thin air, yet again. "And don't worry about your friend, kid. You'll run into him eventually," his voice chimed from behind him. Gary whirled around, only to find no one there; his voice was carried on the wind, it seemed.

Gary groaned and glanced down at Umbreon.

"I hate it when he does that."


End file.
